Ashes
by Trouilefou
Summary: Ashes: the remnants of something that has been burned beyond repair.  Shawn discovers that he has a daughter accused of arson, and he has three days to clear her name...but is it better to dig through the ashes of something destroyed, or just let them be?
1. Burning Debris

**This is my first Psych fanfiction. The rest of the chapters will be told from different characters' POVs, but this one is told in the third person. **

Did you know that shooting stars aren't really stars at all? They're just rocks that enter the atmosphere and catch fire under friction. So when we wish on one…we're really only wishing on a trail of debris. Broken pieces of something that had once been whole, and was now burning beyond repair.

This is what a lonely young girl was thinking when she tossed the match at an abandoned warehouse. She watched the flames engulf the building, and she marveled at how it was just as empty as her.

That's when she heard the sirens.

Shawn Spencer woke up on a perfectly normal Tuesday after passing out while suffering from a severe sugar crash at 3 am.

Yawning, he reached across the sofa and grabbed the remote, flicked the T.V. on, and saw something that made him want to hurl.

Lassie's smiling face.

"Yes," Lassie began in an entirely too pleased tone. "My partner and I apprehended the arsonist ourselves this morning."

Shawn immediately leapt off the couch and shot out the door, leaving the T.V. blaring behind him.

"Gus," Shawn demanded as he sat on a bench at the police station. "_How _is it that Lassie managed to catch this firebug before us?"

"Let me think," Gus began, irritated. "_I_ showed you the police reports yesterday, to which you responded, 'Why, Guster, I already know who did it.' And then you followed a homeless man for three hours before demanding we go to Friendly's for a break."

"_Gus._ They have those delectable straws that change colors when you drink."

"That is _not_ what the word delectable means, Shawn."

"Agree to disagree."

"Spencer!" Lassiter waltzed out of the Chief's office, a smug smile on his face.

"Lassie, if you're here to tell me how you caught the arsonist, then I've got to say that I'm getting some weird vibes about this whole thing, and I really think I should get in there to interrogate the guy."

"Oh, Spencer. I don't think I've ever been this happy in my entire life."

A confused look crossed Shawn's face.

"Please, Lassie," Shawn said. "You're sickening me. I'm sickened."

"Maybe you should come visit our little arsonist, how 'bout that?" Lassie suggested, a sick smile on his lips.

He guided them down the steps into the interrogation room.

"After you," he said sweetly, holding the door open for Gus and Shawn.

Lassie did a little skip into the room and slid into the chair across from a short, blonde girl.

"Ms. Spencer," Lassie began.

"Now you're calling me a woman?" Shawn asked. "Really? That's low, Lassie. Even for you."

"I'm not talking to _you_, Spencer."

Shawn glanced around the room.

"I'm talking to _her_." Lassie finished.

Shawn stared at the girl for a long moment. He and Gus exchanged a glance.

"If you'll excuse me, my partner and I have to discuss something in private," Gus said calmly.

They quickly exited the interrogation room and made a mad dash to the bench at the front of the police station.

Shawn sank to the bench. He had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Oh, God, Gus," Shawn moaned. "Oh, God. This is just like that movie."

"The one with Julie Andrews?" Gus asked.

"No, the old lady, from that musical."

"…You mean Julie Andrews?"

"_No, _Gus. The nun. From that movie."

"_Julie Roberts?_"

"I can't do this with you right now."

"So, Spencer," Lassie shouted from down the hall, as he pulled the girl forward, handcuffed. "You figure it out?"

"Yes. I'm supposed to teach this troubled orphan something, Lassie, I understand that much. And I'm very sorry to disappoint, but my habit is being dry-cleaned at the moment."

"Those are two different movies, Shawn!" Gus hissed.

Lassiter laughed.

"No, Spencer. See, she's not an orphan."

"A troubled youth from the projects, huh?"

"A hardened criminal. An arsonist. Actually, she's exactly what I would've expected, considering who her father is."

Shawn's eyes widened.

"Oh, Lassie," he said. "Don't beat yourself up. You work a lot. You can't be held responsible for her criminal record."

Lassie laughed again. A cold, heartless laugh.

"Oh, no, Spencer. She's all yours."

Lassie shoved the girl forward and walked away.

"Well, I hardly think I'm qualified to babysit," Shawn called after him.

"Shawn," Gus said slowly.

"Yes, Gus?" Shawn asked calmly.

"What are we gonna do?"

"I'm gonna give her back," Shawn said calmly, completely serious.

Gus smacked Shawn on the head.

"You can't just _return_ her, Shawn!" he said angrily.

"Then what am I supposed to do with her?"

Gus glared at him.

"Excuse me, what's your name, little girl?" Gus asked the girl kindly.

"Elise," she said roughly. "Elise Spencer. And I'm not a little girl. I'm _fourteen."_

Shawn coughed loudly, and promptly began to choke on air. Gus pounded his back, with a little more force than was necessary, it seemed.

"Shawn!" Gus shouted as he punched Shawn's back. "She's fourteen!"

"That's not possible!" Shawn coughed out. "That would make me…how old would I have been? Gus, come on, help me out here, buddy!"

"Count it out on your fingers!"

"Subtract 14...29, 28, 27, 26, 24…how many has it been, Gus? I can't keep track of all this!"

"Shawn! I'm calling your father right now!"

"NO! Gus…no matter what you do…no matter what happens…my dad can never, _ever_…find out about this."

Shawn glanced around the police station, then grabbed Elise and dragged her out the front door and stuffed her in his car.

Elise immediately slid to the other side and tried to open the door, but it was locked.

"Let me out. Let me out now. I'll scream!" she threatened. "HELPmphhh!"

Shawn threw his hand over her mouth, muffling her cries for help.

"Gus!" Shawn shouted. "Drive! Drive like there's no tomorrow!"

"NO!" Gus shouted. "I will _not_ help you break out a known criminal!"

"…FINE," Shawn said with a sigh. "Next case we get…you get to hit on the hot woman first." He mumbled this last part unwillingly.

"No, Shawn! It's _illegal_, and I'm not doin' it!"

Just then, Juliet, Lassiter and Chief Vick came running out of the police station.

"Way to go, Gus!" Shawn hissed, stepping out of the car.

"Attention, everyone!" Shawn shouted loudly, throwing his arms out to his sides dramatically. "I'M HAVING A VISION!"

"Here we go again," Lassiter mumbled.

Shawn began pawing at the air and growling softly.

"Smokey the bear!" Shawn shouted.

"Smokey the bear," Gus repeated, playing along. "Forest fires!"

"YES! Only _you_ can prevent forest fires!" Shawn pointed dramatically to Elise, still sitting in the car.

"I'm seeing…" Shawn grabbed a man in the parking lot and reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a lighter.

"_Mr. Spencer!"_ Chief Vick shouted angrily.

"I'm seeing fire!" Shawn shouted, flicking the lighter over and over. "And _lots_ of it!"

Shawn tossed the lighter on the ground, then grabbed his arm in horror.

"No! Yes! No! Yes! No!" Shawn shouted, flipping his head from side to side.

He looked at the people assembled on the stairs.

"There was a fight!" he shouted, a revelation. "The girl….she was trying to stop someone from starting the fires…but she couldn't…OH, GOD!"

Shawn stared at his body in horror.

"I'm burning! I'm _MELTING!_" he sunk to the ground, squinting his eyes towards the sun. "There was someone in the building! She was trying to help him get out, and that's when _you_ two showed up!" he pointed to Juliet and Lassiter.

Shawn collapsed on the floor, placing his hand over his heart.

"She's innocent," he breathed. "You've got the wrong kid."

"_Mr._ Spencer," Chief Vick said, approaching Shawn from the stairs. "The evidence against this child is undeniable. She started the fires."

"Chief…please…" Shawn said softly from the ground. "Just give us a chance. Gus and I can prove she's innocent. Please."

"Nice try, Spencer," Lassie said, starting down the steps. "But you know she did it. You're only trying to help her because she's your-"

"Neighbor!" Shawn shouted. "Yes, Lassie, that's correct. And maybe I am being a little biased, but the spirits of the psychic realm are not!"

"There's no way she didn't commit those crimes, Mr. Spencer!" Chief Vick said, exasperated.

"Chief, please," Shawn said again. "Gus and I can prove she didn't do it. All we need is a little time. Doesn't our track record speak for itself?"

The Chief saw a desperate pleading in his eyes, and knew that, for whatever reason, this case was extremely important to Shawn.

"Fine," she said softly. "You have three days. But the girl stays here."

"We can't conduct this investigation without her. Reception to the psychic realm is spotty, at best. I need a connection, a key, if you will, in order to do this properly. I won't be able to get a good, clear vision without the wrongfully accused standing next to me."

"Mr. Spencer, I _cannot_ let you take-"

"I'll never let her out of my sight."

"I have to charge her with the crime and return her to her legal guardians, you know that."

"Actually, Chief, her legal guardian would be-"

"Fine!" Shawn shouted. "Take her away!" he dramatically fell to the floor again, throwing a hand over his eyes in disgust.

Lassiter led Elise out of the car, and then approached Chief Vick once more.

"Chief, I think you should know that-"

"That there's a sale on piña coladas at the mall today," Shawn interrupted, getting to his feet. "Thank you, Lassie.''

The Chief stared at Shawn quizzically, before following Juliet back into the building.

"_What_ is wrong with you, Spencer?" Lassiter asked in annoyance.

"Please, Lassie," Shawn begged. "I've never asked you for anything before."

"Yes you have-"

"That was the wrong approach, wasn't it?" Shawn asked Gus.

"Definitely," Gus responded.

"Look, Lassiter," Shawn began again. "I need you to keep this undercover…just for a little bit. No one can find out about it. Please."

"It's my duty to tell the Chief-"

"There is _no_ law stating that you have to tell the Chief who the kid's father is," Shawn interrupted. "If she doesn't ask, you don't have to tell her."

"Spencer, I have to-"

"I just need a little time. If we can't prove she's innocent, then fine. You can shout it from the rooftops, Lassie. I just need a few days to prove she didn't do it. And if I can...then no one needs to know who she is."

"If you want my advice, Spencer, forget about it. She did it, there's no way around it. I caught her with the-"

"Thank you for that, Dear Abby. Three days. That's all I'm asking."

Lassiter stared at Spencer. He wouldn't necessarily be breaching protocol, so that made it alright, didn't it?

"Three days," Lassiter said finally. "But that's it."

"Oh, Lassie, I could just kiss you!" Shawn said, beaming.

Lassiter gave him a disgusted look and led Elise back into the station.

"Shawn…" Gus said slowly. "This is bad."

"This is very bad," Shawn agreed.


	2. Ashes of Pain

**This chapter is told from Elise's POV, and it's what I hope the rest of the chapters will sound like. I hope you like it!**

Fire has always fascinated me.

When you light a match, and you watch the flame dance, you'd never suspect the sheer power it contains. The way it can eat an entire building if you just let it.

A fire, no matter where it is, always reaches for the sky, wanting to be free, wanting to be taken away from this place.

I wanted to stop. I really did. The cops were get closer and closer to catching me. And then I came home this afternoon. Walked in the front door. Tripped over my mother.

Before I even looked down, I knew what I would find.

My mother was lying in a pool of her own vomit and urine. She was out cold, surrounded by alcohol, the remnants of her drinking episode.

The ashes of her pain.

I did what I always do. Dragged her to her room in our small apartment. Threw her pillow on the floor, placed her head on it, wiped the puke off her face, laid a blanket over her pale, white skin.

Cleaned the puke off the kitchen floor. Disinfected the cheap linoleum. Washed my hands. Picked up my backpack. And left.

I walked past the dilapidated houses on my street, turned left and headed for the biggest abandoned warehouse in town. This one had to be big.

If he was up there, then I needed God to see this one.

I held an unlit match in my hand, and tried to convince myself to put it away. Walk home. Make myself macaroni and cheese for dinner. Listen to my mom wake up. Watch her enter the kitchen in a drunken stupor. Listen to her words slur as she weeps. Tell her it's okay. Tell her I love her. Stroke her hair out of her face. Take care of my mother. And think, for the thousandth time, how backwards this is.

If I'm being honest with myself, then yes, I did know he worked for the police. He's a little too obnoxious to miss, too impossible to ignore. The talk of the town, so to speak. Every gang knows about him. He makes it that much harder for me to buy drugs. Makes it easier to fear the cops.

If I'm being honest with myself, then yes, I suppose I wanted to be caught. I wanted him to find me in jail. I wanted him to know. Nothing will change, I know that. But some irrational part of me wants him to talk to my mother. To tell her he loves her.

I know it's not true. I know he doesn't. I know he never did. But my mom needs to hear someone other than me tell her that she is loved. She needs to think that she is wanted.

She needs to stop drinking until she passes out, her only solution to depression. And she needs to remember that I need to be taken care of, too. That she's not the only dysfunctional one.

And then maybe she'll love me back.

"Elise? Are you listening?" the Chief asks me. "I need to know your parent's phone number."

"My mom's not home right now," I lie.

"Where is she?"

"She's shopping...for my birthday presents."

"What's her cell phone number?"

"It's turned off."

"Then how can I contact your father?"

"He's a lawyer. He's working on a case right now. In court."

The Chief gives me a look that tells me she doesn't believe me.

"O'Hara!" she calls.

Another woman comes through the door into the Chief's office.

"She says both of her parents are unreachable," the Chief says, giving O'Hara a meaningful look. "Maybe she'll tell you something."

The Chief leaves, and O'Hara sits down across from me.

"Hi!" she says brightly. "I'm Detective O'Hara. You're Elise, right?"

I glare at her.

"See, the sooner we call your parents, the sooner you can get out of here," O'Hara continues. "So if you could just give me a phone number..."

I lean forward, as if I'm about to tell her a big secret. She also leans forward, smiling as if she thinks she's finally reached me.

"I'm leaving," I say quietly.

And with that, I stand up and walk out the door, then break into a run. I get all the way to the parking lot before O'Hara catches up to me. She grabs me and handcuffs me again.

"Damn it," I murmur.

"I can't let you leave until your guardian picks you up," she says, irritated and out of breath.

"Need a little help there, Jules?" Shawn asks calmly.

I turn around to find him casually leaning against a car, hands in his pockets.

"I got it, Shawn," Juliet replies.

"Really? 'Cause it looks like you got your hands full..."

"I've got it all under control."

"You know, that kid's my neighbor. I could just drive her home, if it makes it easier for you."

"I wish I could, Shawn, but I'm not allowed to let anyone but her-"

"Let him take her, O'Hara," Lassiter says, coming out of the station.

"But, Carlton, he's not-"

Lassiter nods.

"He's not-"

"Yes, he is."

"He's not her legal guardian, Carlton, he's just her neighbor-"

"Lassie!" Shawn shouts. "You promised!"

"You mean..." Juliet starts.

Lassiter nods. Juliet stares at me in disbelief.

"You are a disgrace to that badge," Shawn shouts to Lassiter. "Let's go, Gus!"

Shawn grabs me by the handcuffs and drags me toward the car.

"Handcuffs, Shawn!" Gus shouts.

"We'll come back for her!" Shawn shouts, letting go of my hands and heading to the car.

"SHAWN!"

"Fine," Shawn says. "Juliet!"

Juliet comes up and unlocks my handcuffs.

"Shawn," she says. "This is serious, you have to find her mother and-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it. Keep her away from matches."

"Not just that, Shawn. You have to-"

"Got it! Thanks, Jules!"

"But, Shawn-"

"GO, GUS, GO!" Shawn shouts, shoving me into the car and climbing in the passenger seat.

Gus slowly pulls out of the parking lot, and Shawn sighs loudly in irritation.

"Can't you go any faster?" he asks. "We're running on borrowed time, dude!"

"Shawn," Gus says calmly. "We have three days. I'm not getting a speeding ticket just because Phineas and Ferb starts in ten minutes."

"Gus. You KNOW it's the new episode."

I glance out the window, tuning them out. This is just a minor setback. Even as I think this, my fingers tingle. My heart aches.

I need to burn something, so that, for once, I'm not the one whose soul is turned to ashes. The tattered remnants of something that used to be complete.

A familiar thought crosses my mind. It's the first thing I think of whenever I enter my apartment. The first thing I think of when I light a match.

Take me away from this place. Please, God. Let me go.


End file.
